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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PLED-2018-09-13 Approved at the October 10, 2018 PEDC Meeting City of Ithaca Planning & Economic Development Committee Wednesday, September 12, 2018 – 6:00 p.m. Common Council Chambers, City Hall, 108 East Green Street Minutes Committee Members Attending: Joseph (Seph) Murtagh, Chair; Cynthia Brock, Donna Fleming, Stephen Smith, and Laura Lewis Committee Members Absent: None Other Elected Officials Attending: Mayor Svante Myrick and Alderperson Graham Kerslick Staff Attending: JoAnn Cornish, Director, Planning and Development Department; Lisa Nicholas, Deputy Director, Planning and Development Department; and Deborah Grunder, Executive Assistant Others Attending: Trowbridge and Wolfe Associates Chair Seph Murtagh called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 1) Call to Order/Agenda Review Public Comment was done before the presentation. 2) Special Order of Business a) Presentation – Cornell University – North Campus Residential Expansion Katherine Wolfe and Kim Michaels presented the report of the North Campus Residential Expansion project and answered questions of the committee. 3) Public Comment Mitchell (Buzz) Lavine, 719 Ringwood Road. What is methane and why is it so important to this Cornell project. His complete comments are attached. Approved at the October 10, 2018 PEDC Meeting Claudia Jenkins, West Green Street, spoke on the chicken ordinance and the regulations. She described the current situation she is dealing with. Her current neighbor is raising chickens and they are three feet away from her property. The smell is terrible. She feels the space is too small for this number of chickens and asked what she can do to remedy the situation. Charles Geisler, 517 Ellis Hollow Road, spoke on Cornell’s energy diet. He referenced a 2016 report that stated such a diet. He further stated that Cornell has stopped this diet. Susan Nassar, 208 Lake Avenue, is a 30+ years Ithaca resident and a member of Reluctant Environmentalists (Facebook page). She spoke on the future of planning within the City. Green infrastructure is used all over the world. Not here in Ithaca? Why hasn’t the City started to use the State SEQR forms in 2012? We need an environmental review as to what has been built and a full accounting from the City. We need to act now. Sarah Hess, 124 Westfield Drive, spoke on the Cornell north campus dormitory project. The old coal power plant was switched. Now drilling, etc. has taken its place. This is far worse. Should Cornell be held to a higher standard than the TCTC or others, etc.? Yes, they should. They need to be accountable for their answers to the gas emissions. Ken Jaffer, 218 Lake Avenue, spoke on the change to the SEQR/CEQR Forms. He thanked the City for agreeing to use the SEQR forms. He suggested that the resolution provided in the packet be looked at again. Brian Eden, 147 N. Sunset Drive, spoke on his concerns with the North Campus project. Ashley Miller, 126 Sears Street, spoke on signal family occupancies. A home was recently sold out from under a family with three children by paying $60,000 more for the property, and it will be turned into rental property. Guillermo Metz, 103 Durfee Hill Road, spoke on Cornell’s North Campus Development. Joe Wilson, 75 Hunt Hill Road, Dryden, provided a memorandum outlining a number of concerns he and a group of residents have determined. The City must follow the steps methodically. They can be sued it they do not do so. Elmer Ewing, 1520 Slaterville Road. He is a member of the 17 members of the group Joe Wilson spoke of. He reiterated Mr. Wilson’s comments. Margaret McCasland, 202-7 Cypress Court, spoke on Cornell’s North Campus Project. Cornell as well as the City of Ithaca need to step up and do what is good for our environment. Approved at the October 10, 2018 PEDC Meeting Jenny Xie, 418 Eddy Street, #5, is a senior at Cornell. She asks that Cornell rethink their current project. The answers they have given are not accurate. When Cornell asked the student population for their opinion, the students were not given the adequate information. Alderperson Brock responded to the chicken complaints that were made tonight. She stated that the office to address her concerns to the City Clerk’s Office. Chair Murtagh also thanked Claudia for her comments regarding the chickens next to her property. He visited the site. Something needs to be done. 4) Announcements, Updates, and Reports There were no announcements, updates or reports. 5) Action Items (Voting to Send on to Council) a) Waterfront Zoning Changes (lead agency, environmental significance) An Ordinance Amending the Municipal Code of the City Of Ithaca, Chapter 325, Entitled “Zoning” To Make Minor Corrections to the Waterfront Zoning Districts ― Declaration of Lead Agency Moved by Alderperson Brock; seconded by Alderperson Smith. Carri ed Unanimously. WHEREAS, State Law and Section 176-6 of the City Code require that a lead agency be established for conducting environmental review of projects in accordance with local and state environmental law, and WHEREAS, State Law specifies that, for actions governed by local environmental review, the lead agency shall be that local agency which has primary responsibility for approving and funding or carrying out the action, and WHEREAS, the proposed zoning amendment is a “TYPE I” Action pursuant to the City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Ordinance, which requires environmental review; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Common Council of the City of Ithaca does hereby declare itself lead agency for the environmental review of the proposed minor corrections to the Waterfront Zoning Districts. Approved at the October 10, 2018 PEDC Meeting An Ordinance Amending the Municipal Code of the City Of Ithaca, Chapter 325, Entitled “Zoning” To Make Minor Corrections to the Waterfront Zoning Districts ― Declaration of Environmental Significance Moved by Alderperson Lewis; seconded by Alderperson Brock. Carried unanimously. 1. WHEREAS, on August 2, 2017, the Common Council established four new zoning districts for the Waterfront Study Area, the Newman, th e Market, The West End/Waterfront, and the Cherry Street Districts, and, and 2. WHEREAS, the Common Council is now considering adopting some minor changes and corrections to the waterfront districts that could improve the implementation of the zoning and allow for the type of development that was anticipated when the zoning was adopted and 3. WHEREAS, the appropriate environmental review has been conducted, including the preparation of a Short Environmental Assessment Form (SEAF), dated May 21, 2018, and 4. WHEREAS, the proposed action is a “unlisted” Action under the City Environmental Quality Review Ordinance, and 5. WHEREAS, the Common Council of the City of Ithaca, acting as lead agency, has reviewed the SEAF prepared by planning staff; now, therefore, be it 1. RESOLVED, that this Common Council, as lead agency in this matter, hereby adopts as its own the findings and conclusions more fully set forth on the Short Environmental Assessment Form, dated May 21, 2018, and be it further 2. RESOLVED, that this Common Council, as lead agency in this matter, hereby determines that the proposed action at issue will not have a significant effect on the environment, and that further environmental review is unnecessary, and be it further 3. RESOLVED, that this resolution constitutes notice of this negative declaration and that the City Clerk is hereby directed to file a copy of the same, together with any attachments, in the City Clerk’s Office, and forward the same to any ot her parties as required by law. Approved at the October 10, 2018 PEDC Meeting Modification to City/State Environmental Quality Review Forms (CEQR/SEQR) Moved by Alderperson Brock; seconded by Alderperson Smith. Carried unanimously. Planning and Economic Development Committee Resolution to Modify the City’s Model Full and Short Environmental Assessment Forms (FEAF and SEAF) to be the Model NYS DEC’s FEAF & SEAF September 12, 2018 WHEREAS, §617.3 General Rules of the NYS Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) states that “No agency involved in an action may undertake, fund or approve the action until it has complied with the provisions of SEQR” and WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca has a local Environmental Quality Review Ordinance (CEQR) §176 of the City Code, and WHEREAS, both SEQR and CEQR define Environmental Assessment Forms (EAFs) as “A form used by an agency to assist it in determining the environmental significance or non -significance of an action. A properly completed EAF shall contain enough information to describe the proposed action, its location, its purpose and its potential impacts on the environment”, and WHEREAS, although the State has model EAF forms, the City of Ithaca has long used local EAF forms to conduct environmental review, and WHEREAS, CEQR also states that the model forms “may be modified by the Common Council to better serve it in implementing CEQR, provided that the scope of the modified form is as comprehensive as the model”, and WHEREAS, it has been determined that the State model EAF forms would better serve the City in implementing CEQR, now therefore be it RESLOVED, that the Common Council does herby modify the City’s model EAF forms to be one and the same as the New York State model forms, and be it further RESLOVED that the CEQR thresholds for Unlisted and Type 1 Actions remain the same and be it further RESOLVED, that the current model forms contained in Appendices A and C as referenced in §176.2 of the City Environmental Quality Review Ordinance be replaced with the State forms. b) Comprehensive Plan, Phase II Approved at the October 10, 2018 PEDC Meeting Selection of Next Plans for Phase II of the City of Ithaca Comprehensive Plan WHEREAS, the Comprehensive Plan outlines a vision for the city’s future and serves as a guide for future decision-making, policies, and funding, and WHEREAS, the City decided to pursue a two-phased approach to its new Comprehensive Plan, where Phase I entailed the preparation of an “umbrella” plan, Plan Ithaca, that sets forth broad goals and principles to guide future policies throughout the city and where Phase II includes the preparation of specific neighborhood and thematic plans, and WHEREAS, the Phase II plans provide an opportunity to take a proactive look at specific areas throughout the city, particularly those with significant potential for change, and to implement policies and capital improvements to help implement a shared vision, and WHEREAS, the Parks and Recreation Master Plan was adopted as the first Phase II plan in June 2018, and work on the Waterfront and Southside area plans is nearing completion, and WHEREAS, staff is beginning to prepare for the next plans to be completed as part of Phase II, with work intended to begin in the first quarter of 2019, and would like to identify Common Council’s priorities for the upcoming planning initiatives; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Common Council selects housing strategies and _______________ as the next area plans to be completed as part of Phase II of the Comprehensive Plan. Staff requested which area plans should be looked at and in what order. Chair Murtagh recommended that in Plan #3, Fall Creek be taken out as a separate plan. Alderperson Fleming would like to review #9, Southwest-Spencer Road, and #6, South Hill. Alderperson Smith would like to review Plan # 4 (West End-West State Street) and #9 (Southwest-Spencer Road) are high on his list. He would like to steer clear of # 6, South Hill, due to the recent uproar in that area as of late. Alderperson Lewis would like to review Plan #4 (West End-West State Street) and then Plan #6 (South Hill). Alderperson Brock would like to review South West--Spencer Road. Chair Murtagh would like to review South Hill, and the West End Approved at the October 10, 2018 PEDC Meeting Alderperson Brock talked about the need to look at the Air B&B and how prevalent they are in the City. The consensus was a housing strategies in the neighborhoods. South Hill, West End, and South West. Infill and Air B&B are top on the list of topics to review. This will be a review city wide. First priority is housing strategy and West End second. Staff will develop a housing strategy and bring it back next month. 6) Discussion a) Chainworks Area Requirements The group was in agreement that the changes or edits discussed at this meeting will be brought back next month as well as the design guidelines. 7) Review and Approval of Minutes a) August 2018 Moved by Alderperson Smith seconded by Alderperson Brock. Carried unanimously as amended. 8) Adjournment Moved by Alderperson Smith; seconded by Alderperson Lewis. Carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:16 p.m.